Jezze's Story
by CharmedPeacekeeper
Summary: So since my Review Crew is begging, this is Jezze's Story.  Everything between Edelweiss and Together is here for your personal enjoyment. There is always room on the Review Crew, so come check it out!
1. Chapter 1

So…I know you guys were waiting, and I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to update lately. But I promise, there will be more updates from here on out. –Hugs computer- It's mine now…no sharing.

So…here's Jezze's back story, like I promised. Everything between Edelweiss and Together is here for your enjoyment.

Disclaimer: Hey, I actually own something!!!!!! Jezze's all mine, you yotches!! Sadly though, no one else is. Makes me sad.

Aeryn pursed her lips as she watched her daughter struggle with the words that Pilot was trying to teach her. At four cycles, Jezze should have no trouble speaking with anyone, but the technology that granted her parents the ability to communicate with any race was fatal to her, the offspring of Aeryn Sun and John Crichton. They had tried to inject her with the translator microbes, but Jezze had had an allergic reaction to them. And now Jezze was struggling with the very basics of communication.

As she watched from her hiding place outside the doors of Pilot's den, Aeryn's heart broke at the thought that her daughter may not ever be able to communicate as easily as her parents or her brother, who had had no reaction to the translator microbes.

That was something that puzzled Aeryn…why had the translator microbes not affected D'Argo? She wasn't a med tech…she had no answers. Besides, it wasn't as if there were anything suggesting that someone could have an adverse reaction to the microbes that made everyone's lives a little easier.

Aeryn frowned suddenly as something within the chamber took place that completely confused her. Pilot, from his perch behind the console, reached out a claw to Jezze, who watched his every move as if entranced. He asked her something in Pilot. _She can't even speak Sebacean…how is she supposed to speak Pilot?_ Aeryn thought, baffled. Ignoring the instinct that told her to stay hidden, she strode across the chamber to where Jezze crouched on the top of the console, still mesmerized. She opened her mouth, ready to ask Pilot what the frell he was doing, when Jezze did something that threw her even more off balance. The four year old took the joint of Pilot's arm and swung up to his shoulders, mumbling something in Pilot that had the undertones of apology.

Aeryn froze, staring at the tableau of her daughter and Moya's Pilot. They seemed not to notice her as Pilot repeated his question in a firmer tone, one that said Jezze's last answer had been unsatisfactory somehow. Jezze, frowning in concentration, tried again.

"Hu'nah ku'mir'ah dol'chek," Jezze mumbled, this time with a different inflection on the syllables of the complicated language.

Pilot's expression softened as soon as Jezze completed the sentence.

"Kl'ric Myd'no hu'nah," he answered. "Yur'dna da'lia."

Jezze frowned, shaking her head. She sighed, and then climbed down from Pilot's shoulders. She pointed at the console, then mimed twisting two things together.

"T'mik ji'ohnm."

Pilot smiled, his doe-brown eyes looking up at Aeryn for the first time. "May I help you, Officer Sun?"

Aeryn was almost shaking with a mixture of emotions she couldn't identify. "What was that all about?" she asked after a moment of struggling to find her voice.

"Jezze can't speak Sebacean. I was trying to teach her, but she couldn't grasp the words. Moya asked me to try Pilot to see if it yielded different results. As you no doubt saw, it did. Jezze has some basic problems with pronunciation, though. I can teach her to fix that, if you'd like."

"So now we all have to speak Pilot to be able to communicate with her? I don't think so. Not even with your DNA could we do it."

Pilot looked mildly amused. "Moya thinks that's exactly why she can do it."

Aeryn's retort died on her tongue. For another moment she was silent, shocked into it by Pilot's announcement.

"You think…" she began haltingly, "that Jezze can…speak Pilot…because of…your DNA?"

"It's possible, at least Moya seems to think so."

Aeryn thought about this for a moment, then made her decision. "Would you watch Jezze for me?" When Pilot nodded, Aeryn strode from the room.

"What are you going to do, Officer Sun?"

"To talk to John," Aeryn replied over her shoulder. _And do we need it._ She added silently.

Somehow she thought Pilot knew what she meant.

So…one chappie down, however many more left to go! Please review!!


	2. Chapter 2

So here's chappie 2 of Jezze's Story, simply because I can't sleep and I wanted to write out the second chappie for all of you who are following Jez. Aeryn's not herself at the moment…

I own Jezze. Wish I owned her parents.

Chapter Two

Aeryn strode furiously into the maintenance bay where her husband kept his module. As she had suspected, he was there, his legs sticking out from under the right wing, a welder going in his hands.

"John!" she yelled over the welder. "John, it's about Jezze!!"

At these words, John shut off the welder and let it clatter to the floor as he crawled out from under his module. "What's wrong with her?" he asked, settling himself on the floor.

"She can speak Pilot."

This pronouncement was met with a shocked silence for a moment while John processed his wife's words. "She can? How do you know?"

Aeryn recounted what she'd seen between Jez and Pilot in Pilot's Den. "…and I didn't know what else to do but come find you! She can't speak Sebacean and she can't speak English, but she can speak Pilot! It doesn't make sense…it's not like we speak Pilot. Where could she have picked it up?"

John dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, and then swore when he got grease in them. Once he had recovered, he looked up at his wife and patted the ground next to him. Aeryn obliged, and John put an arm around her shoulder. "Look, Aer…she doesn't have the translator microbes…she hears Pilot speaking it. It makes sense."

"But then she must hear us speaking Sebacean and English, so she should be able to speak that, too."

John considered this for a moment. "We should ask Pilot."

"Yes, Commander?"

John and Aeryn jumped as Pilot's face filled the clamshell on the wall. "Pilot, you shouldn't do that." John scolded.

"I'm sorry, Commander. Jezze told me you might want to speak to me with regard to the incident in my den a little while ago."

"What language did she tell you this in?" Aeryn asked, her tone that of a Peacekeeper interrogator.

Pilot hesitated, seeming to sense that his answer wasn't going to be right no matter what he said.

"Pilot."

Aeryn leant her voice to a howl of rage and frustration. John wrapped his arms around her. "Aer, baby, it's okay. We're gonna find a way to fix this, I promise."

"What are you fixing?" A soft-voiced 6 year old joined his parents in the Maintenance Bay.

"We're not fixing anything, D'Argo. Mommy and Daddy are having a little talk right now, okay? Can you please go play?" Aeryn asked, rubbing her eyes.

D'Argo's little face crinkled into a frown that made him look exactly like his father. Despite herself, Aeryn laughed. Her son's face brightened as he scampered off to play.

"He gets it from you, you know." John said, hoping to distract his wife from her utter frustration.

"He gets that from me, but he gets his looks from you. When he does that, he reminds me of you." Aeryn said, her tone softening. "But," she continued, her voice hardening again, "that's not what we're talking about, is it? We're talking about Jezze."

John sighed. "Aeryn, listen to me. We don't know if this is a bad thing yet, okay?" he murmured in her ear, keeping his arms around her shoulders. "Let's wait and see how this all works out. Can you do that for me?"

Aeryn's face contorted. She was obviously dying to shoot a sharp retort in his direction, but she restrained herself. John waited a minute more. When she still gave no response, he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Aer, baby?"

Aeryn bit her lip and rested her chin on John's wrists, which were crossed at her throat. "Okay."

John kissed her. "It's going to work out, Aeryn. You have to believe me. We're gonna figure this out, I promise."

Aeryn said nothing, but she did lean back into her husband's loving grip. He shifted his arms to make her comfortable, then looked up at the clamshell where Pilot's image was still visible.

"Pilot, what's Jezze doing now?"

Pilot's face creased into another smile. "She's playing on my console…she's repaired three wires that connect the lights and my controls. She's got incredible dexterity for such a young age."

"Yeah, about that, Pilot…" John began. Pilot cut him off.

"Commander, she is bothering nothing. I suggest we discuss this tonight when she can't hear me. She knows something is going on and that it concerns her. I do not wish to lie to her, but neither do I wish for her to feel inferior."

John nodded. "Okay. Hey, how many hours until Sleep Cycle?"

"Approximately seven arns. Until then, Commander, may I ask that we…table this discussion?"

John smiled. "Sure. We'll come see you after the kids are in bed."

"I shall see you then, Commander."

John stood, hoisting Aeryn to her feet. "You heard him. We'll talk about this tonight. Until then, I think we need to go spend some time with D'Argo."

Aeryn nodded, her expression softening again, as it always did when she thought of her children. John threw an arm over her shoulder and tugged her out of the Bay to go find their son.

RR please! You know you hear that little button calling you…


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! I love reviews, and since J.Stone, marcelb, and Amon-100 asked so nicely, here's chapter three.

Note to marcelb-Yeah, she's a smart kid, but there's a reason that she's having problems with linguistics. Stay with me, and you shall see. Of course, the entire fic's written for you, so I'll be highly upset (the Peacekeeper way) if you bail on it.

Disclaimer: Ah, guys, c'mon…you know I don't own anyone who ever made any money…I do own Jezze, and I'm quite proud of her, but…get over it already.

**Chapter Three**

Aeryn tucked her daughter into her bed and kissed her goodnight.

"I love you, little one. I just wish I understood why you can't do what you should be able to." She gave her daughter a final kiss and went to turn away, but was brought to a sudden stop by the words that fell out of her child's mouth.

"Ok'jah ni'ana."

Aeryn pursed her lips and continued from the room as if she hadn't heard.

John was already in Pilot's den when she arrived. She climbed up onto the console and crouched there, waiting for someone to say something. She didn't trust herself to speak, much less tell what had happened in Jezze's room.

Pilot regarded her with concern. "Officer Sun, other than the obvious, what's wrong?"

"Jezze spoke to me. In Pilot. And I have no idea what she said and I hate it." Aeryn spoke quickly, trying to forestall the pain she was feeling.

Pilot's doe eyes met Aeryn's. "Officer Sun, Moya heard what Jezze said to you. Would you like to know?"

Aeryn frowned. "Moya listened?"

Pilot smiled. "Officer Sun, you know that Moya hears everything…she just chooses not to let on exactly what she knows. Discretion is, after all, the better part of valor."

John laughed, but Aeryn's expression remained stony. Pilot sighed.

"She told you that she loves you. That's what ok'jah ni'ana means. It also means 'don't worry about me' and 'everything's going to be okay.' At least, that's what it means in this case."

"One word, a thousand meanings, huh Pilot?" John asked.

"Only with the tones it's spoken in. Jezze hasn't been exposed to warfare or disease or famine yet, so the other meanings hold no place for her. Even if she had, I doubt that the other meanings would ever come into play. She's too sweet for that."

Aeryn looked at John. "She gets _that_ from you." John smiled proudly.

Pilot sat patiently, waiting for one of them to open discussions about why they were really here. He didn't have long to wait. Aeryn cleared her throat and shifted her weight on her toes. "So…we're here for a reason…can we get started?"

Pilot nodded, and then hesitated, as if he was weighing his words before he spoke them. "Jezze has no problem at all with my language…but the difficulty she's having with your languages is obvious. Moya thinks that she understands why."

Aeryn and John looked at him expectantly. When he didn't elaborate, Aeryn jabbed him.

Pilot ignored her jabs, but continued. "Moya believes that it's my DNA that gives her the ability to speak my language with such ease. Her intelligence could only enhance her natural skills. Moya also believes that she has such difficulty with your language because compared to ours, your respective languages are so simple. It's a case of something's too simple for her to grasp right now."

"Pilot, that could be it, but...where would she have gotten your DNA?" John asked, running a hand through his spiky hair.

"From Officer Sun, of course. Namtar gave her my DNA, so she passed it down to your children." Pilot said reasonably.

John and Aeryn sat for a moment, digesting these words. Aeryn was the first to speak. "But then D'Argo should be having the same difficulties, but he wasn't even allergic to the translator microbes, so how could Moya be right?"

"D'Argo does have my DNA, but he can't express it because the genetics mutated."

"Then why didn't Jezze's?" Aeryn asked, agitated.

"Because your pregnancy with Jezze was close to perfect. You weren't exposed to radiation, you weren't fragmented, and Jezze didn't spend any time at all inside of Rygel's belly."

Aeryn thought about this while John continued the conversation, still trying to process the information himself. "Okay, that makes sense, but that still doesn't explain why she's allergic to the microbes."

"Because for all intents and purposes she's one third human, one third Sebacean, and one third Pilot. Moya thinks that her system couldn't handle the input from all three of us at once, so it surrendered something so that it could compensate; in this case it was her tolerance to the translator microbes."

Aeryn rocked back on her heels. "How long has Moya been thinking about this?"

Pilot's doe eyes regarded Aeryn with love and sympathy. "For as long as Jezze's been talking to her."

John and Aeryn started at the same time. "What are you talking about?"

Pilot looked as close to ashamed and apologetic as either John or Aeryn had ever seen him. "Jezze's been talking to Moya since she was three months old. She can speak mentally with Moya, as well as understand what Moya wants or needs the second she needs it. Moya considers Jez an ambulatory Pilot. She sensed the difference the moment Jezze was born…that's another reason she asked you to stay as all the others left. She wanted to hear the laughter of children, but she also wanted to keep Jezze safe until she figured out exactly what she was and what she could do."

As Pilot's speech came to a close, Aeryn's expression fell to one of utter disbelief. "And you've been keeping this from us?"

"No, I haven't. Moya only told me a weeken ago…she keeps her own counsel when she feels the need for it. She also asked me not to say anything until she had worked the rest of it out."

John filled the thick silence in the chamber with a comment he intended to break the tension. "So how does it feel to have competition as Pilot, old man?"

Pilot regarded him seriously before answering. "It doesn't feel like competition…she can do things that even my DRDs can't do. It's like having a piece of me walking around. She's only four, but she's already an immense help. Her 'playing' in the bulkheads has led to some needed repairs. And she's only getting smarter."

Pilot trailed off as his eyes were drawn to the door of his den. Jezze stood there, her eyes taking in the sight of her mother crouching on the console and her father leaning against it. Her gaze locked onto Pilot and she asked him a question, which he answered quickly with what sounded like a denial. Jez shook her head and stared at him. Pilot sighed and motioned her closer.

"She knows we're talking about her." John realized.

"Of course she knows," Aeryn retorted. "She's not stupid."

"No, she isn't," Pilot agreed, his attention still on the child now climbing to sit on his shoulders. "She's just a little behind in the linguistic department."

Aeryn looked at her little girl, and for the first time noticed that Jezze's eyes, which had once matched her father's blue ones, now perfectly matched the amber of Pilot's. And suddenly, for whatever reason, Aeryn's resolve hardened. "And we're going to find a way to fix this. And we'll go her speed…not ours."

John nodded, satisfied, while Pilot reached a claw out to Aeryn. She took it, and pressed her cheek against it. "Are you with us, Pilot?"

"I was with you even before she was born."

Aeryn nodded and took her child off of Pilot's shoulders. She looked Jezze straight in the eyes and whispered:

"Ok'jah ni'ana."

So…reviews welcome!!! That button on the left summons you…please don't ignore it!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 should need no explanation. If you like it but are confused, PM me…I'll explain. If you hate it, I don't care. It's not FOR you. If you love it, then good…it's you that I'm writing for. You know who you are. Oh, btw, there's a time lapse, just so you know.

Disclaimer: Sue me and we'll see what happens. –Wields PK pulse rifle-

**Chapter 4**

Jezze studied Pilot's controls carefully, murmuring to herself in Pilot. Two cycles had passed since her parents and Pilot had had "The Talk" as it was referred to. Jezze was still no closer to speaking either of her parent's languages than she had been then, but at least she could understand basic questions in both languages. Pilot was her translator, and her family relied on him to relay messages back and forth.

"Can you see the problem?" D'Argo asked her. At eight, he was the most inclined to understand her and to be able to phrase questions so that she could understand them. 

Jezze regarded him for a moment. D'Argo didn't mind…he understood that his sister wasn't snubbing him. He always gave her thirty microts to figure out the question and relay her answer to Pilot. And when all else failed, D'Argo asked Pilot to be the middleman.

At last, Jezze nodded and pointed to a pipe jutting out from under the console. Pilot swiveled around to inspect it, and then he turned to D'Argo.

"Would you like to fix it?"

D'Argo shook his head. He wasn't a Pilot…his sister had already forgotten more about Leviathans than he'd ever even know.

And that bothered him. Jezze got so much more attention than he did. He knew that it was because she was different, but he was jealous. He wished that he could do what she could…Jezze could do anything on a Leviathan without even thinking about it. D'Argo wanted to be able to do that. He was older, anyway. He didn't see why his little sister outshined him in the only area he had ever cared about.

"D'Argo, son, what are you doing?" D'Argo jumped as his father entered Pilot's den.

"Fixing Moya," D'Argo replied simply.

"Seems like Jez is doing all the work," John noted as he lifted his son onto his shoulders.

"I didn't wanna fix it this time. I wanted to watch."

John nodded and began to spin in quick circles, making his son laugh wildly with joy. D'Argo loved it when his father played this game with him. John would see how dizzy he could make his son, and D'Argo would try to walk in a straight line. It was a game that only he and his father played…it was theirs and no one else's. D'Argo loved that. So caught up in the pure joy of his father's attention was he that he didn't even notice the look of pure sadness that his sister shot his way.

Pilot, however, did. He reached out two of his claws and scooped Jezze close to him as John and D'Argo teetered out of the den to go seek lunch. _Little one, it's going to be alright,_ he assured her in Pilot.

_I wish that Mom and Dad would play that game with me. All they really care about is my talking. I know I can't do it right. _

_D'Argo needs attention, just like you do…and yes, they play games with him and sometimes overlook you in that respect, but that doesn't mean that they love you any less. They aren't, after all, part Pilot. They can't handle more than a few things at a time. Lesser beings usually can't._

This wry observation elicited a giggle from Jezze, and Pilot put her down. She climbed up to her customary spot on his shoulders, her legs hanging off either side of his neck, her hands gripping his head plate as she leaned over to see what he was doing.

Pilot smiled softly at his protégé as he puttered around his console. Jezze was all his. She understood him in a way that only Moya and Aeryn ever had, but with the added advantage of Jezze being around him all her life. He could help her better than anyone, and he knew it.

Jezze's stomach rumbled just as Aeryn strode into the den. Wordlessly, she lifted her daughter off of Pilot's shoulders. Then with a grin at Pilot, she blew a giant raspberry against Jezze's neck, which made her daughter squirm and giggle.

"C'mon, kiddo…let's go eat."

As the pair left the den, Pilot smiled. Communication between the two had improved hundredfold in two years, and it would only get better. Now if D'Argo could make progress like that, there would never be any complaints on the ship. But then, D'Argo was eight cycles old…he could never be expected to understand.

Pilot shook his head and turned back to his work, his claws dancing over the consoles as he communed with the ship that was his life.

A/N: I know, that chappie was a little different…but I had to establish D'Argo and Jez and a little bit of the relationship between them. Review….you know you wanna!


	5. Chapter 5

So…here's chappie 5. No time lapse in this one.

Marcelb, I'm not hunting you anymore. You can stop hiding. I don't really want to kill my most faithful reviewer. (And unless you're marcelb, you won't get it, so don't bother trying. He knows what I mean.)

-Grin- You shall see!

Disclaimer: Frell off. You know I don't own anyone but Jezze.

**Chapter 5**

Aeryn punched the bag in front of her for all she was worth, pounding out her frustrations onto the massive red punching bag. She kept it from her Peacekeeper days and used it to keep fit or, as in this case, to work out her frustrations in the first-and sometimes best-way she had ever known.

She kicked, pounded, pushed, and yelled at the bag, her emotions rushing out of control. Her pent-up frustration at her own inadequacy as a parent and her inability to be there for her daughter when she needed it came out in the force of her assault.

At last, when she was covered in sweat and emotionally drained, one of her punches sent the heavy bag swinging, the weight of it breaking the rope that bound it to the ceiling. She stood hunched over, her hands on her knees and her breathing heavy, staring at the bag, at a complete loss for words or even actions.

Then she heard the word she wanted to say, though not in the voice she expected.

"Frell."

Aeryn whirled around to see her daughter standing in the doorway, her head cocked to the side in a manner that reminded her of Pilot, her eyes showing her full understanding of what she had just said.

Aeryn's breath caught. "What did you say, baby girl?" she asked quietly, at once hoping she had heard the word and fighting the thought that the word may have only been in her head.

Jezze hesitated, and then opened her mouth again. "Frell. Frell frell frell. Dren."

Aeryn completely disregarded that both of the words her daughter had uttered were swear words. She rushed across the room and swept her daughter up in her arms, burying her face in Jezze's curly black hair. "That's my baby. I'm so proud of you. Can you say it again?"

"Frell. Dren. Dren frell dren."

Aeryn hugged Jezze tighter, and then yelled into her comms. "John, are you listening?"

"Yes, why? Are you okay? What's going on, Aer?"

"Listen. Just listen John." She turned to attention back to her daughter. "Can you say those words for Daddy? Please say those words for Daddy, okay?"

Jezze regarded her mother for a moment, then obliged.

Aeryn could picture the look of ecstasy on John's face as he whooped for joy. She heard his boots thumping down the hall a few microts before he came running into the room, his expression just as Aeryn had pictured.

John rushed over to his two favorite girls in the world and scooped both of them up in his arms. "She talked?"

"Never mind the fact that her first words were our favorite swear words."

John grinned at her. "As long as she's learning to talk, I can live with it. What do you say we go for a little drive to celebrate?"

Aeryn scowled at him playfully. "It's not driving. It's called piloting. And as it's MY prowler, I think I have the final say in what vehicle we take the kids out it."

"Prowler. Fly. I got more, Mom."

Aeryn and John looked down at Jez, astounded. John put his girls back down. "How in the world…?" they said in unison.

"Pilot can tell you…but can we please go for a fly?" Jezze's amber eyes were pleading, and Aeryn and John couldn't help but give in.

"Of course we can. Go get your brother." Aeryn hugged Jez again and put her down. Jezze squealed and ran off to find D'Argo.

"How do you think she…" Aeryn began, suddenly thoughtful.

"It doesn't matter. She can talk. She understands us. Pilot'll explain it when we get back, and that's all that matters, right?"

Aeryn but her lip, sighed, and nodded. John looped his arm around her shoulders, planting a kiss on her cheek as he did so.

"Okay then. Let's go get the Prowler ready to go. Knowing Jez, she'll beat us to it."

Aeryn laughed and leaned into her husband, allowing him to steer her out of the work-out room. He was right…about a lot of things. Including the things she didn't expect him to understand. He would be right about this, too…of that she had no doubt.

A/N: So…you know you wanna review…please?


	6. Chapter 6

So currently its 3:30 in the morning on Sunday morning, and I probably should be getting some sleep so that I can do my homework tomorrow, but my roommate is nowhere to be found and I find that I can do this story better if I can be alone with my beloved computer.

marcelb, have a little faith in me, will you? I'm not hunting you. Not at the moment, anyway. hehe

J.Stone, it was good to get your review! Welcome back to the review crew.

Amon-100, I hope you like it…Don't let me disappoint you.

Psylocke2216- welcome to the review crew! I hope you're enjoying it so far!

To all of my readers: feel free to PM me anytime you like…I love getting those, and I will respond within the day.

**Chapter 6**

Aeryn handed her children up to her husband and swung herself effortlessly into the cockpit of her prowler. She waited until Jezze had settled herself into her customary position on her mother's lap before closing the hatch.

She allowed D'Argo to take the auxiliary control and to steer them out of the hanger. She knew she could be considered reckless, but John was watching him carefully and her own hand was hovering over the auxiliary control override, waiting to slap the button and regain complete control.

D'Argo's piloting left a lot to be desired, but an adrenaline rush felt good, and it was well worth it to see the light in her daughter's eyes. Jezzebel had gotten her love of flying from her mother, no matter what John said to the contrary.

Aeryn let her children take turns piloting, enjoying the loops and twists and turns as her kids put the prowler through its paces. She looked back at John and saw her feelings mirrored in his blue eyes. She glanced down at D'Argo and laughed softly at the look of intense concentration on his face as he veered around Moya's tadpole form. His tongue was clenched between his teeth, his face was scrunched in concentration, and his green eyes were blazing with a pilot's passion. 'As soon as he turns 16, I'm getting him a Prowler,' she told herself. She didn't want him using hers all the time…she needed to fly, too.

Then it was Jezze's turn. Jez enjoyed piloting as much as D'Argo did; she just had a penchant for piloting ships the size of Moya. Aeryn attributed this to the Pilot's DNA in her. She looked at Jez's reflection in the glass of the hatch. She grinned, feeling her child's grunts of concentration through her stomach. Jezze liked her Leviathan, but she also loved the Prowler. She hadn't quite the knack for it that D'Argo did, but that was okay by Aeryn. After the scene in the workout room an arn ago, Aeryn's tolerance had grown. She honestly thought that someone could make an attempt on her life and she wouldn't but laugh.

She was jerked out of these thoughts by a loud blaring from the console on her left. She slapped the comms button and took the joystick away from Jezze, who surrendered with a "frelling bastards" and a scowl. Aeryn was too busy slipping on the comms headset to reprimand her, and she was pretty sure John hadn't heard.

"This is Prowler number 12291988," she rattled off into the headset. "State your business."

The comms crackled, and then Aeryn heard a faint voice over the earpiece in a voice she didn't understand.

"I didn't copy that, please repeat your message." 

The voice started to try again, but Jezze snatched the headset off of her mother's head and spoke in rapid Pilot. She listened, and then spoke again, frowning slightly. The cycle repeated itself a few more times, then the six-cycle old finally nodded, satisfied. She handed the headset back over to her mother.

"That's the Pilot of a ship named Kaluah. He needs help."

"Ship as in Leviathan?" John asked from the backseat.

"Yes," Jezze answered simply.

"What kind of help?" D'Argo asked his sister, his tone indicating that he had forgotten that his sister could understand him.

"The kind that DRDs would fix if any of them worked. That Pilot, Hunak, wants to know if we know of anywhere nearby that he could get the DRDs repaired. I told him no, but that we could fix them."

Aeryn frowned. "Are you sure that was a smart decision?"

John shrugged. "He's a Pilot. They aren't, by nature, deceptive creatures."

Aeryn nodded. She knew John was probably right. If his gut said that the Pilot was probably okay, then Aeryn would agree with him until she had reason to believe otherwise. She looked down at Jezze, who had craned her head around to look at her mom. Jezze nodded, agreeing with her father.

Aeryn's heart swelled with pride that her linguistically-challenged baby could finally speak. "So, Jezzebel Sun-Crichton…what do you want us to do?"

Jezze grinned and took the controls from her mother. "We're going to see Hunak."

John nodded, grinning with pride in his daughter's take-charge attitude and her willingness to help another in distress.

Aeryn looked over her shoulder at him, obviously feeling the same thing. "She gets it from you."

Neither one of them noticed the look of pure venom D'Argo shot his sister's way.

I've updated more on this story than I have all my others combined, and it's all due to my Review Crew! (That's what I'm calling you, marcelb, J.Stone, Psylocke2216, and Amon-100.)

I think maybe my fans over in the Charmed department are feeling a tad neglected…oh well.


	7. Chapter 7

I love my ever-faithful Review Crew. You guys are the reason I'm writing this, and I will be very upset with you if you bail… (Ask marcel…he almost had to face my wrath.) And when I get upset, I do it the Peacekeeper way, so watch yourselves. I have assigned you numbers based on how long you've been involved in my Jezze-verse. I don't play favorites. There is always room for more on the Review Crew, so go for it.

At this point, I think that I owe some people some thank-yous. I am speaking, of course, to my Review Crew.

Marcelb- Review Crew Member 1, since you've been here the longest and you're the one who begged for a Jezze story. I look forward every day to your reviews and PMs and (Yay when it happens) story alerts. You make my Scaperhood that much more worthwhile. This fic is especially for you…keep reviewing!

J.Stone- Review Crew Member 2, since you've been involved almost as long as marcelb, I was sad when you didn't review for a few chappies, and I'm assuming it was because you were feeling fussy at me for not letting Jezze talk. Don't think I didn't notice that as soon as I allowed her to talk you started reviewing again. –Grin- Naw, you're good. And my Charmer side feels your contempt…but my Scaper side is reveling in the love.

Amon-100- Review Crew Member 3- You've always got something interesting to say…I loved your first review. "I like it…more please." So polite! I love your reviews. It's never a problem mentioning you.

Psylocke2216- Review Crew Member 4- You may be the newest, but your enthusiasm for my humble little project makes me feel as if you've been around since Day 1. Your reviews make me laugh and they were my motivation for getting this chapter out tonight, rather than making you all wait a few more days. –Grin-

Now that I've run up about a page's worth of favorites, I think it's time to give you Chapter 7. –Grin- And don't worry…this is gonna be a long chapter, because marcel and Psy won't hush about it. And I'll give you one guess as to what I'm listening to as I type…yep…the Farscape theme. I'm looping it…I feel deprived of my show.

Also, there shall be bonus points and an extra-special dedication to the first one who can guess the significance of Aeryn's Prowler number.

**Chapter 7**

Aeryn held her breath, trying not to flinch as Jezze maneuvered her precious Prowler ever-closer to the tadpole shaped ship in front of them. The foreign Leviathan was even more massive than Moya, Aeryn noted, not failing to admire the ship even through her fear of Jezze's piloting. Good as she was with Moya, her abilities had not carried over to smaller ships. D'Argo, on the other hand, could pilot anything.

It came as a complete shock when Jezze, as if sensing her mother's thoughts, let go of the stick and turned to face D'Argo. "I can't get it into the bay…you have to do it."

D'Argo's face, which had been the picture of jealousy and sullenness, lit up. Even at eight cycles, piloting was the only thing he loved to do. He was never so focused as he was when he had the controls in his hands.

"Take it easy, son," John warned. D'Argo ignored him, focusing on the protocols his mother had taught him for docking and landing on an unknown vessel.

"Pilot of the Leviathan Kaluah, this is Prowler number 12291988, requesting permission to land inside your hanger on the Hammond side. Awaiting your response, maintaining holding pattern," he rattled off as easily as if he had been born saying the words. Aeryn smiled.

John grinned. "He gets it from you," he said, referring to D'Argo's easy grasp and love of protocol. "I'm the loose cannon."

Aeryn shushed her husband and slapped the control on her console that would allow the entire cockpit to hear the transmission they were awaiting.

It came, crackling and faint, but it was enough. "Permission granted, Prowler 12291988. Hanger 3, Hammond side, is at your disposal." There was a moment of silence, and then… "Do you bring the Pilot child with you?"

Jezze jerked, having never heard someone refer to her this way before. She stared at the speaker for a moment, as if reconsidering her offer to help. Then she shook her head and opened her mouth, speaking to Kaluah's Pilot in his native language. He responded, and Jezze nodded, placated.

"He said he's sorry. He didn't know what to call me," she stated, brushing her soft curls out of her face. She turned to D'Argo and gave him the go-ahead to land. D'Argo nodded and scrunched up his face in concentration, determined not to let his parents down.

As they drew closer to the ship, John's face took on a very strange look…as if he was trying to remember something from a dream he had had years ago. He fell completely silent as he stared at Kaluah. Then, as D'Argo was maneuvering inbetween the tendrils of the ship's tail and his main body, John slapped his hand to his forehead. "He looks like Elack!"

Aeryn stared. "Who?"

"The Leviathan I was aboard when…well…" John glanced uneasily at his children. D'Argo's one-track mind was focused on piloting, but Jez was watching him intently, trying to decipher what her father meant.

Aeryn looked at Jezze, then back of John, still confused. "When you were…?" 

"You know…when I was…and you were…" John rambled, trying to make her understand the "when" he was referring to…the "when" she was gone and the "when" he had left Moya for a stint on the old, dying Leviathan Elack.

Suddenly Aeryn's face lit up with understanding. "OH! You mean when…" and she nodded vaguely out of the hatch. 

"Yes. Absolutely. That when."

Aeryn nodded. "And this is important how?"

"Dunno…I just thought that…"

THUMP.

Aeryn and John looked around, startled. D'Argo had maneuvered and landed the Prowler inside of the Leviathan's hanger without them even noticing. Letting out a breath of relief, he let go of the controls and looked at his parents, searching for approval.

"D'Argo that was an exemplary bit of flying you just did. I'm proud of you," Aeryn said, glowing with pride at her oldest. D'Argo beamed at her, and then turned to his father, who merely planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek. D'Argo squirmed and laughed, proud of himself for both landing the Prowler and managing to get the attention away from Jez, if only for an instant. He knew that when it came to Leviathans, his parents trusted his sister, and they didn't trust him. He reveled in the moments where he had his parents to himself.

Jezze herself ended the moment by standing up in her mother's lap and hauling open the hatch. She climbed out of the Prowler, took a deep breath, and choked.

Her mother was at her side in an instant. "Jezzebel, what's wrong?"

"Can't you smell it, Momma? He's burning."

Aeryn took a deep breath and gagged, nodding in agreement. The Leviathan smelled of burnt cables and there was a lingering odor of rancid, injured hull leaking through the ship.

"We should start with the Pilot," John said, joining his wife and daughter outside of the cockpit and lifting D'Argo out of the Prowler.

Jezze shook her head, negating her father's suggestions. "No, Daddy…we need to start right here." With that, she walked over to the wall and touched it, making a strange humming noise deep in her throat that Aeryn was sure she should not be capable of making. Then, to Jezze's family's surprise, the ship hummed back. Jezze listened, and then moved to the left about three feet. She hummed at Kaluah again. This time, Kaluah didn't respond. Jezze nodded in satisfaction and pulled a panel out of the inner hull and peered in.

"D'Argo, come look."

D'Argo obliged, holding his breath as he peered into the ships system of cables and "veins." He nodded at his sister and stepped away from the wall, trying not to breathe in the rancid smell.

His father took his place. "I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking at, but this can't be good."

Jezze shook her head, murmuring in Pilot. She stepped away, the panel of inner hull still in her hands. She set it down and walked away, still murmuring to herself in Pilot.

John and Aeryn hesitated, not knowing if they should follow her, but a quick "I'll be fine and I'll holler if I need you" from Jezze stopped them.

Aeryn turned to John, her expression uneasy. "I don't like this, John. It doesn't feel right."

"Oh, I know…but Jezze thinks that it's fine, and I trust her more than anyone when it comes to Leviathans. She'll be okay, and if she's not, our own Pilot will be having words with this one."

Aeryn nodded. "I know…I still don't like it." She cast glances all around, looking for a subject change. "What do you think happened here?"

John shrugged. "I have no idea, Aer. We'll find out soon enough, I expect. I have a sneaking suspicion that Jez went to see Hunak. She should be back in a few microts."

Jezze wandered the corridors of the ship, staring all around her. This poor ship was in so much pain. He was sick and injured and had no one but his old, decrepit Pilot to aid him. His Pilot was near death, but the ship was young. He needed a new Pilot, and soon.

Jezze murmured softly to the Leviathan in Pilot, keeping him calm and updated on her whereabouts and her activities. She was a stranger, after all, and after the mess she had seen in the hanger, she was sure that he wasn't alert enough to realize that she was here to help. The Pilot's instinct in her told her that much.

She knocked softly on the torn metal of the swiveling door to the Pilot's den. It seemed to be stuck half-way open. The rancid odor got worse the closer she came to Hunak's console. She approached slowly. Hunak's massive head swiveled in her direction, his eyes growing milky with blindness.

_I'm here to help you._ She said softly in Pilot.

Hunak nodded slowly. "I know."

_Why don't you speak with me in Pilot, like you did before?_

"Because you can speak Sebacean…I was unaware that you could do this. All Leviathans think that Jezzebel Sun-Crichton, the Leviathan's Friend, is unable to speak Sebacean. That is what we have been told."

"So you want me to speak Sebacean for you?" Jezze asked, confused.

"Yes. For so long we were home to a traveling Sebacean colony…I miss the language." Then Hunak frowned. "But how is it that you can speak it?"

Jezze sighed, then reached into her mouth and pulled out a flat bar that wrapped around her two back teeth and stretched across the roof of her mouth. On the bar were three small cylinders with sharp points on the tip of each one. The two outer bars had a blue translucent liquid in them. The one in the middle held a yellow liquid.

_This was a gift from my Pilot. This is my translator._ She said, her ability to speak Sebacean vanishing the moment she pulled the bar from her mouth. _The yellow liquid is for the roof of my mouth so that I can't feel the points. The blue liquids are translator microbes, but they can't colonize at the base of my brain. They're stuck in the cylinders. Microbes do their jobs inside the cylinders, and the points go into the roof of my mouth and submit the translations to my brain via the nerve receptors that travel back and forth from there._ She explained, trying to remember the exact wording of the explanation Pilot had given her.

Hunak nodded. _This is new technology._

_Yes, it is, and it took my Leviathan and her Pilot the better part of 5 years to perfect it. My Moya is amazing._

Hunak nodded tiredly, waving one cracked claw at Jezze, who put the device back into her mouth and winced slightly as the three points penetrated her skin. It hurt, but only for a moment. Once the yellow liquid did it's job, she wouldn't feel a thing.

"So what happened to Kaluah?"

Hunak motioned her closer, and Jezze, ignoring the ever-present stench, climbed up to crouch on the console, ready to listen as Hunak began his tale.

So…that was chapter 7. Now you know how Jezze talks. Damnit, I love writer's powers! I can invent technology!

Let me know what you think. I'm sure some of you didn't like this chapter, but I'm happy with it. I still love feedback!! Press that review button, oh ever-loyal Review Crew. I live for your opinions.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8…I'm sure you guys are thrilled. I'm exhausted, I feel like I'm gonna die. Between school, practice, this fic, and the rest of the life that I have to manage outside of my campus, I have no energy. Labor Day is gonna be good to me. Yeah, I know…you guys wanted updates during break, but I need to sleep, so this is the last update before Labor Day. Then I will probably take a week off from writing and updating to do some beta work and to get some sleep. Sorry, Crew. I need a break…just for a week…I'll be better by then….I hope.

But I at least wanted to give you chapter 8 before the weekend starts.

And way to review in the numerical order I gave you at the beginning of the last chapter. You guys made me smile. Thanks a lot for that.

So…here goes. Hope you enjoy it…you are the reason I'm writing, after all…if you hated it there really would be no point in it, would there?

**

* * *

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**Chapter 8**

Hunak coughed several times, expelling a pale purple mucous onto Jezze's shoes. The six-year old cocked her head at him and reached out a hand to touch his withered cheek. His withered, barnacled hide was hot to the touch and Jezze frowned.

"How long have you been sick, Hunak?" she asked, concerned at the Pilot's temperature and the fact that he was spewing the foul-smelling slime all over the place. From her vantage point on the console, she could see that the controls all around him bore a layer of the stuff. She knew that it couldn't be good for Kaluah to be coated in that mess. She also knew that DRDs were capable of cleaning it up…if there were any working. There were three deactivated ones in the corner across from where she was crouched, and they were coated with a thick layer of dust and grime from disuse.

Jezze hopped down from the console and walked around to stand next to the Pilot. He towered over her. He was at least 300 cycles older than her own Pilot. Kaluah, by contrast, was six cycles younger than her Moya. At 24 cycles, he needed a Pilot who could handle him. "Or he would if he wasn't dying," She muttered to herself.

"I have been ill for three cycles. Every day is worse, youngling. You know nothing of illness and disease…yet that is what I am. I am diseased, and Kaluah is dying."

"Why?" Jezze asked, the part of her that was Pilot raging at the unfairness of it all. "Why is he dying?"

Hunak smiled at her, touched by her concern and grateful that she had found him. The Pilot who mentored her was doing a fantastic job with her. If only he could be so lucky as to find a youngling this devoted…he sighed.

"Youngling, Kaluah was injured in a run-in we had with the Scarrens. They raided us, took our supplies, killed or captured the Sebaceans we had aboard us…they released a virus on me…they injured him to prevent him from Starbursting away. They tore his essential tissues, tubing, and cabling that allow fluid flow to his vital parts and to me. You see my door? That happened when I tried to close off to keep them from coming in. They came in anyway. They disabled my ability to send a distress signal and destroyed our long-distance comms. You saw the mess they made of the hangers…you should see his neural cluster. He's dehydrated and he's sick…and I'm too old to do anything to help him," Hunak's voice was thick with pain and worry over his beloved partner.

Jezze ran her tongue over her translator, thinking. "How much longer do you have to live?"

"If I receive no help, I shall die within the weeken. Without me, Kaluah will have no guidance at all…and he will die. Do you feel how he is now, Jezze? He's barely alive. If he falls into the hibernation phase, he will die. I have been able to provide him with electrical shocks every now and then to keep him awake. It's all that keeps him alive."

Jezze sucked in a breath, trying to make sense of it all while trying to figure out a way to help. "What does he need most of all, Hunak?"

"A new Pilot. You know that. You also know what he needs besides a new Pilot. You can feel him, you can speak to him. You know the answers to the questions you ask, youngling."

"But I'm not his Pilot. You are, and to intrude upon what is yours by right is unfair. You ask for help, I can give it. You don't, and I shouldn't."

"You are wiser than your cycles would allow many to believe, youngling."

Jezze blushed. "I want to help you, Hunak. Will you allow us to help you?"

Hunak nodded and Jezze turned on her heel.

"Where are you going?" Hunak called after her retreating back.

"To find my parents. They'll help me help you."

Hunk smiled again, before succumbing to another coughing fit. He was glad she'd found them…he just wished that he had longer to enjoy her company.

Jezze strode back into the hanger, where her mother was already working on the repairs to Kaluah's wiring. D'Argo was poking around the other side of the hanger with his father, looking for spare parts.

"You won't find any. The Scarrens took everything…and everyone."

Her family stared at her. John spoke first. "So…how do you know?"

Jezze recounted the talk she'd had with Hunak, complete with descriptions of Hunak's coughing and of the area around the console. As she finished, Aeryn and John looked like they wanted to be sick. D'Argo looked angry that someone could be so cruel to an innocent Leviathan. He didn't understand bestial greed or even bestial need, but he understood that attacking something that hadn't attacked you was wrong.

"He needs help, Momma," she said, her amber eyes begging her mother to aid her. "Will you take D'Argo back to Moya…you can tell Pilot what I said and he'll give you the parts you need. I don't want him to die, Momma…I really don't."

Aeryn balked at the thought of leaving her daughter on board this dying Leviathan with the diseased Pilot, but at a nod from John she scooped up D'Argo and walked away, not trusting herself to speak.

Jezze watched as her mother swept away with her brother, leaving her and her father alone. John turned to his daughter.

"What do we need to do, Jez?"

"You need to follow me, Daddy. We're gonna go look at his Neural Cluster."

John pursed his lips and followed his child. He knew she loved Leviathans and that she could do anything she needed to with one, but he had a bad feeling about this…a _really_ bad feeling.

* * *

So…that was Chapter 8, for your reading enjoyment. Now I'm gonna begin my break. I'll see you guys in a week or so…feel free to message me or have me beta something for you. I'm sorry for this, but I need a break before I burn out. I love my Review Crew, and I don't want to give you a fic that's full of crap, and I know that if I burn out that's what'll happen.

Love from CP


	9. AN before chapter nine

It's not a real chapter…it's an author's note because I was a bad person and failed to acknowledge a very important person like I promised I would. Marcelb was the first one to guess that Aeryn's prowler number is actually my birth date. Go marcelb!

Marcelb- Review Crew member 1. My most loyal reviewer. You've never been anything but honest with me and I appreciate it. Your advice is shaping me into the writer I want to be. You read "Edelweiss" and loved it. You weren't that fond of "Together" and you let me know exactly why. I love that you don't say that you like something if you honestly don't. I expect it to stay that way, you got it?

And to think that we started talking after I sat and reviewed every last one of your frelling Farscape fics…I'm glad I did. Your feedback and enthusiasm where Jez is concerned means a lot to me. When I'm down and I don't think I can write myself out of another corner, your reviews and PMs give me that extra boost of determination I need to solve the problem. (Like Jez's translator…that one was all on you.)

So as the actual reason I caved and am working on the Jez fic, it is to you that I will leave the story if I (for some bizarre reason and under some really strange circumstances) get killed by Scorpy's descendants. You're the reason I'm writing it…I think you need no more dedication than that.

Stay honest!

Love from CP


	10. Chaper 9

Oh man you guys are the best!! I wanted to thank you for your support of my week-long hiatus. It did me SO much good.

Marcelb – Obviously, Scorpy's relatives didn't come and kill me, so you can't have Jezze. Sorry. But I hope that my being back is enough for you. And I loved the Leviathan-sized hug you sent. It made me feel so much better. –Leviathan-sized hug back!-

Amon-100 – When are you gonna send me chapter 2? I miss your story! I've got a beta-twitch going on, here. See? -twitches-

J.Stone – I'm back, you can stop sniffling now. –hands over tissues-

Psylocke2216 – I'm enjoying the e-mails…keep 'em coming!!

So here is chapter nine, ready for your consumption.

**Chapter 9**

John walked fast behind his daughter, not even bothering to ask her what she was planning on doing. The corridors were silent save for the thud of John's boots and the softer padding of Jezze's shoes, still covered in the slime Hunak had spewed.

Jezze led her father down into Kaluah's Neural Cluster. The stench of rotting flesh filled the air. Jezze shuddered once, then walked over to the Cluster and hopped up onto the raised platform. Peering down into it, she recoiled, covering her mouth.

John craned his neck to see what she had seen, and immediately let out a soft "oh, frell…" Kaluah's cluster was all but destroyed. His connections to his Pilot were almost completely severed…more fluid was dripping onto the exposed wiring than was getting to Hunak. Kaluah's wiring had been stripped and was sparking dangerously. His life's blood was seeping out onto the floor around the Cluster's platform where Jezze now crouched, the horrified look still on her face.

Jezze swallowed hard, fighting down tears at the damage that had been done for no reason to this gentle giant. She reached out to touch his skin and hummed slowly and softly. Kaluah's vocals were strained and weak. He was fighting to live. He was dehydrated. He was in pain. And he couldn't tell his Pilot. He couldn't even provide the nutrition his Pilot needed to function normally. The Scarrens had done an expert job with this torture…Kaluah would die slowly, and he would die even sooner than Hunak, who would suffer in silence for another few arns after his partner died before succumbing to the darkness that was death's merciful release from his living hell.

Jezze cried softly as she lowered herself slowly into the cluster to examine the rest of the damage. John reached out a hand to stop her, but she ignored him. She touched the lines that bled and the cables that sparked. She handled the desiccated pieces of his Neural Cluster, hoping that, somehow, someway, they could be saved. She sighed, and then reached out her arms to her father, begging him to hold her. John obliged quickly, hugging her tightly to him.

"Daddy, he needs our help. He's in bad shape."

John nodded, not loosening his grip on his daughter. She was too young to handle this. He would get Aeryn and Pilot to help him. His children could stay safely ensconced on Moya.

Jez looked at her father, as though sensing his thoughts. "No, Daddy," she whispered. "I have to be the one to help him. He wants me to help him."

John sighed and put Jezze down on the ground, then crouched so that he could look her in the eyes. "Are you sure, Jezzebel? You don't have to."

"Yes, I do."

John sighed. She was stubborn…like her mother. She wasn't giving up without a fight, and he was reluctant to start one. Better to let her do what she thought she had to do. "Okay, Jez. Just let us help you, okay?"

Jezze nodded, already turning back to the Cluster. She reached up into the top portion of the Neural Cluster, where Hunak's connections hung, dripping with the fluids that were supposed to keep him alive. Gripping one of the connections, she examined it, shaking her head.

John cleared his throat. "Can you save it?"

Jez bit her lip. "I think I can…They can grow back…they're really good at it…he just needs some help."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Do you have a needle and some string? Like…to sew with?"

John shook his head, then stopped as Kaluah hummed something at Jezze. She smiled and looked over at her father. "He says that on tier three, there's some…look in the big yellow crate in the middle of the corridor. He said the Scarrens didn't want it."

John balked. "Are you going to be okay here while I go?"

Jezze nodded, then shooed her father out with a jerk of her chin, as both of her hands were occupied with the severed connections. John turned and left, casting a final glance backward at his daughter.

Jezze watched him leave, and then rested her head on Kaluah, speaking to him in Pilot. _He's going to help me help you, okay? I promise, everything's going to be alright. My Moya and My Pilot and my mother and my brother will help, too…I know they will. Just hang in there, Kaluah._

The ship sighed beneath her skin. He would try…she could sense it.

_Everything's gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay. I promise. Just hold on, sweetheart. Hold on._

Oh, hiatus was refreshing…I can't tell you how much better I feel. Now…my faithful Review Crew, please submit to the pressing urge to push that review button. Feel free to PM me, e-mail me, myspace me or facebook me…any way you find to get in touch with me is fine.

Love from CP


	11. Chapter 10

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PSY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I remembered. I know it's a little late, but I was in New Orleans on your birthday and had no access to a computer…sorry sweetie! This chapter is your birthday present…and though it's kind of gruesome, I hope that you like it anyway.

Marcel- It's been awesome finally talking to you…YAY for social networking, right?

Amon-When are you actually gonna post the fic I've been beta-ing? I don't wanna be the only one you share it with…ah well…take your time. I can stand to be a little stingy…I don't need to share it right now.

J.Stone-I know you asked for it, and I promise there will be more Pilot-Jezze dialogue. Patience is a virtue (I don't have any, though), and you'll be rewarded.

Samvalasam- you actually scared me when you messaged me on myspace...oh well…welcome to the Review Crew! I dub thee…Review Crew Member 5.

**Chapter 10**

Jezze slumped back against the cluster, her hands aching and her eyes stinging with exhaustion. She'd never gone so long without a break. At least now Kaluah and Hunak were joined again. Kaluah was still dehydrated and Hunak was still woozy and ill, but at least they weren't in immediate danger. Jezze felt a tug on her heart. Kaluah was going to live a long life…Hunak didn't have that long at all.

She leaned back to look up at her handiwork and sighed. Without thinking, she rubbed her eyes and swore her father's favorites when she got Pilot gunk in her eye. She hopped up and down on the spot, eyes stinging, transferring to Pilot so she could say the words she wanted to say without getting in trouble.

Kaluah hummed at her and a panel opened to her left, exposing an emergency hose. She grabbed it and activated it, rinsing the purple gunk out of her eyes. She sighed in relief and shook her head to clear the water off of her face. She was covered in Hunak and Kaluah's fluids and slime, and she reeked. She needed a bath, and soon.

Kaluah hummed at her, and she laughed and patted his bulkhead. "Yes, Kaluah, I know you don't mind…but I do. I smell horrible, and I really don't need to be covered in your muck. No offense."

**None taken, youngling.** Kaluah's "voice" was deep and full, filling Jezze with a sense of strength. Moya's voice was softer and more flowing, and it always soothed and calmed Jezze. Jezze smiled and hopped down from the neural cluster. Her smile vanished as her vision faded and her world started spinning. She latched onto the nearest beam for support.

**Jezze?** Kaluah asked, his voice full of concern.

Jezze took a few deep breaths, blinking furiously. Her vision returned to normal and the room stopped spinning. "I'm okay, Kaluah. Just tired, I guess."

Kaluah made a purring noise, and Jezze smiled and patted the beam she'd been clutching. "Yes, I'm going back to Moya, I promise. And if it happens again, I'll get it checked out, okay?"

"What are you getting checked out?"

Jezze jumped and turned to the doorway, startled. John was standing there, feet planted, arms crossed over his chest. She stammered. "Uh, nothing, Daddy."

"I saw what happened, kiddo. Don't lie to me. C'mon, we're taking you back to Moya."

Jezze didn't argue. Instead, she held her arms up, silently asking to be carried. John smiled and lifted her up into his arms.

"So, little bit, how's he doing?" He asked Jezze.

"He's better. He's still dehydrated, but he'll be okay. I think we should ask Moya if she'd mind hooking up to him…just for a few arns, though. That'd be great," Jezze stated sleepily.

"I'm sure if you asked her, she'd be more than happy to link up to give your new friend a head-start on healing. Now, as for you, you're going to get a bath, and then you're going straight to bed, got it?"

"I want Pilot," Jezze stated simply.

John sighed. His daughter loved Pilot, and Pilot loved her. Sometimes, it seemed that only Pilot could understand Jezze's needs and wants. As her father, that hurt him.

But, he saw no reason to deny her, so he ignored his feeling of hurt and agreed. "As long as you sleep," he insisted.

"I will."

Nodding his head and smiling down on his sleepy baby girl, he carried her to the hangar, where one of Kaluah's transport pods was waiting to take them home.

Yes, it's a short one, but I had to get it out…seems that my muse is not cooperating…

Ah well…You know what to do guys! CP loves you!


	12. Chapter 11

Oh my God…it's been so long since I last gave you something to read…I'm gonna blame Higher Education. If it wasn't for school, Jez would probably be finished already.

Let's see…lemme see if I can remember the proper protocol for posting, since it's been so long. Author's notes and a disclaimer…does that sound right?  Alright…here goes!

Marcel – TA-DA!!!! (Nuff said)

Amon – I'm still feeling stingy…I don't think that's going to change at all, even when you do start posting. Don't worry; I've got the chapter almost done…

J.Stone – Jezze-Pilot dialogue is on the way, just not this chappie, okay?

Samvalasam – As I'm not quite sure what you think of this one, I'm just gonna say "enjoy!" and hope for the best.  Again, welcome to the Review Crew!

Disclaimer: Hey…it's reached the point where I can say that I own a few things!! Yay!! So, I own Jezze, Hunak, Kaluah, and the plot, as well as any technology/virus (oh, spoiler!) that you've never heard of. I don't own anything that's EVER made any money…do you think I'd need to be in school if I was in on the profits Farscape has made? Yeah, that's what I thought. So don't sue me, or I'll create a PK gunship and send it after your sorry eema. 

So here's chapter 11, all set for your consumption and subsequent reviews (I hope)!! Enjoy!! (And yes, it's short…don't kill me.)

**Chapter 11**

John carried his daughter into Pilot's Den on Moya. Jezze had fallen asleep in the transport pod, and now she was snoring softly in his arms. John carried her over to Pilot's console.

"Hey, Pilot…she wanted to be in here with you, if that's okay."

Pilot cocked his head to the side and smiled as he gazed at his sleeping protégé. He raised two arms and scooped her out of her father's grasp, cradling her gently to his chest. "She can stay with me, Commander. Moya says that she'll keep it dim and quiet for her," Pilot said, remembering to keep his voice down. "She'll be fine."

John nodded at Pilot, satisfied. "I have some things to talk to you about, old man…but they can wait until she wakes up. She'll probably want to talk to you, too," he added, gesturing to Jezze. "But there's something that can't wait. After she was done working on Kaluah, she had…an episode."

Pilot glanced down at Jezze before frowning up at her father. "What?"

John described what he had seen, all the while watching Pilot's expression carefully. He had the distinct impression that if color were capable of draining out of Pilot's face, that it would have.

"So…what d'ya think, big guy?"

"She's been in contact with the Helion Virius. It's a virus some Pilots get through their ships. From what Aeryn told me, Kaluah's got it."

"Virus? She's sick because she helped a Leviathan?"

"Yes. It's a virus that has to run its course. There's no known medication for it, since I see from the look on your face that you want to know."

John was stunned…his daughter's generous nature could destroy her…

Pilot cocked his head to the side. "Commander, it's not fatal. She'll survive. She'll just be sick for a little while. As long as she stays with me, she'll be fine. By the way, Commander, Moya is hooking up to Kaluah now. She'll provide him with some vital fluids so that he can speed the recovery process."

John opened his mouth to object, but Pilot cut him off. "Moya won't get it, and neither will I. It'll be fine, Commander. Now, if you don't mind, I need to take care of this little one. Sleep will do her good."

John rocked back on his heels in surprise at the dismissal, but didn't say anything. He snapped a quick about-face and left the chamber, only his eyes betraying his worry.


	13. Chapter 12

So, my dears… How long has it been since I last updated Jezze? I'll make it easy… TOO FRELLING LONG. Here ya go, my loves! Chapter 12 of Jezze's Story, dedicated especially to marcelb, who has never, EVER let me even consider giving up on this one.

Disclaimer: I own Jezze, Hunak, Kaluah, and Translator Bar Tech, as well as the Hellion virus. Anything else isn't mine. For now, anyway. ;)

Jezze's Story, Chapter 12

Jezze hung upside down inside Kaluah's outer bulkhead, miniature blowtorch in hand; her father's two favorite DRDs, One-Eye and 1812, welding below her. She figured her parents had probably sent them here, but she really didn't care right now. She was too busy making sure that Kaluah's bulkhead was strong enough to withstand space. With as sick as he'd been in the last two cycles, she could use all the help she could get, and the DRDs could reach segments she couldn't.

She shut off her blowtorch, wiped the sweat out of her eyes, and made a low humming noise in her throat as she patted the area around the space where she'd welded. She grinned when the Kaluah hummed back at her, his tone that of contentment and gratitude.

_**No problem, big guy.**_ She carefully dropped the blowtorch on the ground and swung herself down, stumbling a little as the blood left her head. She'd been upside down for half an arn; a little wooziness was to be expected.

The eight-year old climbed into Kaluah's maintenance bay from where she had been working. Two cycles Kaluah had been Moya's travelling companion, and two cycles she had spent working on him. Hunak had made a much-unexpected recovery, and Jezze spent a lot of time with Hunak, learning from him things that Pilot had never learned. She and Pilot gained a lot by being near him, though her father remained more than a little resentful that most of her lessons came from Pilots.

She couldn't help it, though. She'd always been more comfortable around Pilot. It wasn't that she didn't love her father. He just wasn't as well equipped to handle her as he was for D'Argo. He was the one her parents could help, but she was the one they worried about most. What a frelling way to live. Lately, she had taken to avoiding her parents and just spending time with Pilot and Hunak and the Leviathans, learning everything she could possible cram into her head. It took her mind off of the dren that was the rest of her life.

She loved her brother, she really did, but she did wish he were more understanding. Though Pilot had told her once that the Luxan her brother had been named after hadn't been very understanding, either. Pilot always said that a name could be a powerful thing, so the naming of offspring was never to be taken lightly. Jezze wished she could have met Ka D'Argo… She would have loved to stomp on his tentacles for being such a frellnik.

She pulled her translator bar out of her pocket and popped it into her mouth. After two cycles, she didn't even notice when it pricked her. She spoke into her comms. "Mom, you there?"

Aeryn surprised her by snatching her up from behind and landing a kiss on her neck. Jezze squealed and giggled as her mother blew a raspberry where she'd just kissed.

"Thanks, Mom!" Jezze squirmed around in her mother's arms and kissed Aeryn's cheek. "Are you done checking the top tiers and the terrace?"

Aeryn sighed, a smile on her face as she put her daughter down. "You're getting tall. Anyway, yes, I checked them. That was the last weak spot in the hull and the atmospheres on the terrace are finally back to normal. It's safe to go out there now."

Jezze took her mother's hand. At least her mother had grown more understanding over the last two cycles about Jezze's peculiar DNA structure and her unorthodox lessons. Her father still loved her, but he remained a little jealous of Pilot. (He tried to hide it, but Jezze knew better.)

"Do you wanna stargaze with me?" Jezze asked Aeryn.

"Of course I do!" Together, mother and daughter made their way to Kaluah's terrace.

Aeryn looked over at her daughter, who was clicking her tongue on her translator bar. Jezze had grown up so much in such a short amount of time. Aeryn had learned to just be proud of her daughter, and not worry about the "how" of Jezze's education, rather than who was teaching her. It was still up to John and Aeryn to be good role models, regardless of who taught her math and language and science. Jezze could communicate with Pilot in his own language better than she could communicate with English or Sebecean, and Aeryn and John both loved and trusted Pilot and Moya implicitly, so Aeryn had learned to just let it go. Jezze was no less their daughter because of Pilot. She wished that, for once, John would be the understanding one. But then, he had never been one to give up on his family. Aeryn suspected she would feel that he was acting out of character if he wasn't a little jealous.

Aeryn raised her arm and pointed at a star cluster. "What's that one called?" She wasn't quizzing Jezze. Rather, she knew that Jezze already knew, and she wanted Jezze to teach her.

Jezze squinted slightly as she followed her mother's finger. "That's the Melillo cluster. We're getting close now." Jezze's voice was excited. "We should only be about four or five solar days away from the Neutral Planet. We can resupply there and see where we want to go next."

The Neutral Planet, Pilot had told them, was a simple commerce planet that had low enough gravity to allow Leviathans to land. It was a favorite place to resupply and rest a bit before continuing onto other systems. Aeryn was looking forward to it as a way to begin teaching Jezze about bartering and currency. D'Argo and Jezze had spent most of their lives in space, and Aeryn and John relished the opportunity to expose them to other species and cultures. Provided they didn't get into trouble, that is…

Pilot's voice came over the comms. "Jezze, Aeryn, please return to Moya. We have a problem."

Aeryn and Jezze stood and began jogging back toward Kaluah's hangar. _Of course, _Aeryn thought. _If it's not one thing, it's another…_

-fin-

Well, my lovelies, I know it's been entirely too long, but I'm back now, and Jezze shall receive more love and affection now. I have places to go with her, you know! :D

-CharmedPeacekeeper


	14. Chapter 13

Hello, Review Crew! Hey, look, another update! Aren't you surprised? See what happens when you get your own place and find some good peace in your life? Yeah, writing happens!

Disclaimer: Oh, lovies, we've been over this so many times… I own Jezze, Hunak, Kaluah, TBT, and the Hellion Virus. Anything else isn't mine, though I DEARLY wish it was. I wish I could meet Ms. Black and Mr. Browder. And everyone else. :P

Jezze's Story, Chapter 13

Aeryn and Jezze burst into Pilot's Den, D'Argo and John hot on their heels. Jezze swung up to crouch on Pilot's console while the rest of her family crowded around. She studied the panel and listened to Moya's noises with a scowl on her young face.

_What do you hear?_ Pilot asked her in the tongue he had taught her years ago.

Jezze answered in rapid-fire, barely seeming to breathe between sentence fragments. _Moya's fear. Internal sensors seem normal, atmospheres are at optimum. No abnormal thermal readings, no unclassified cargoes or life-forms. Nothing inside Moya indicates a problem. Why is she afraid?_

John and Aeryn watched the exchange, and then glanced down at their ten-year old son, whose face was creased in concentration, as though if he only tried hard enough, he would be able to understand the words passing between his sister and her mentor.

John lifted his son to the console so he could see, then addressed Pilot. "What's going on?"

"Moya is afraid, but nothing indicates a problem, so I don't understand what she's afraid of. It's frightening to me, as well, Commander." Pilot's voice was soft with concern.

"So you called us all here because Moya is having a panic attack?" John replied, confusion in his voice.

"And why wouldn't he?" Aeryn asked him. "When do you remember Moya EVER having a panic attack? We've been aboard for over ten cycles now, and Moya's never panicked before."

"Um… Actually… She has every cause," Jezze interrupted, her voice thick with fear. "There's a Scarren ship floating dead out there."

Aeryn's Prowler soared out of the hangar, John's module right behind it.

"John, you don't have to follow me… You KNOW that module isn't going to do you ANY good with the Scarrens," Aeryn called over the comms to her husband. "It has no firepower; it can't possibly stand it's own if there's anything alive out on that ship."

"Well, according to Pilot, there's not so much as an energy signal coming from the engines. And Jezze said she didn't see anything on the weaponry, either. And I'm not letting you go out here alone."

"You should have stayed behind with D'Argo and Jezze. They need their father."

"Just as much as they need their mother, as it turns out," John retorted, his tone sharp through Aeryn's comms. "So don't give me that dren about the kids needing me. They need us BOTH, so let's try to live through this, okay? There and back, that's it. We aren't going to stay. I don't want another episode like we had on the Zelbinion."

Aeryn rolled her eyes. "As long as there's no PK Techs aboard, we shouldn't **have** an episode like we did on the Zelbinion, then should we?"

John laughed. "That was before you liked me, remember?" His tone softened as he teased her.

"Sure, John. The point is that **I'M** the one who married you and bore your children." John could hear the smile in her voice, and that made him smile as well. "Docking now," she continued, maneuvering her Prowler to connect to the dead ship.

"Right behind you, baby." John docked as close to her as he dared, climbing out of his own ship and waiting for his wife to grab her pulse rifle and join him.

She wasn't too far behind him. She kissed him lightly, glancing back at his module. "I don't know why you insisted on bringing that bucket of dren. We both fit inside my Prowler."

"Well yeah," he allowed, "but if there's something we should bring back, then we can put it in the module and pull it behind us."

Aeryn considered, then nodded, her ponytail bouncing slightly. "Fair enough. Let's make this quick." She turned…

And came face to face with Scorpius.

DUN DUN DUN!

More of a filler chapter than anything, but there you go. I HAD to bring him in. Just wait, though, it gets better. ;)

-CP


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